Detailed program. All times are in Eastern time zone.
This conference will feature simultaneous English-French interpretation.
Click here for facilitator and presenter bios.
Tuesday, November 16, 2021
11:30am: Ice Breaker (or networking social connections), led by Sandra Allen, Shift Delivery Co-op and CWCF Board member, Vancouver
12:00pm to 1:30pm: Welcome and Land Acknowledgement, & housekeeping, from CWCF, by Reba Plummer, Urbane Cyclist, CWCF Board President, Toronto
Keynote Panel:
Global view of what the effect of COVID has been on the worker co-op Sector. What’s the big picture? What strategies have worker co-ops used to survive and thrive in the face of the pandemic?
And: How can worker co-ops show the way?
Worker co-op models to building better together: Challenges and opportunities
Speakers:
- Francesca Zaganelli, Membership Coordinator, CICOPA, Brussels
- Kelly Storie, Executive Director, La Siembra Co-op, Ottawa
- Jonny Sopotiuk, Founding Member, VALU Co-op, Vancouver
- Hazel Corcoran, Executive Director, CWCF, Calgary
- Esteban Kelly, Executive Director, USFWC, Philadelphia
Facilitator: Victor Beausoleil, Executive Director, SETSI, Toronto
2:30pm to 4:00pm: Peer learning sessions
Facilitator: Jessica Provencher, Réseau COOP & CWCF Board member, Québec
Participants will choose two break-out rooms of the following three topics; one-half hour each:
1. Benefits that worker co-ops can provide.
Speakers:
- Jaime Cuevas Mercado, REM Solar Worker Co-op, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Representative of Shift Delivery Co-op (TBC)
2. How to attract talent to our sector. How can we grow if we can’t attract talent? What does your co-op do to attract workers?
Speakers:
- Colin MacDougall, Sustainability Solutions Group WC, Ottawa. (facilitator)
- Danielle Turpin, Home Care Workers’ Co-op, Peterborough, ON
3. How to get members engaged in the governance of the co-op / training on co-op governance.
Speakers:
- Joey Pittoello, Just Us! Coffee Roasters Co-op, Grand Pre, NS. (facilitator)
- Isabel Faubert, Executive Director, and Matthieu Dionne, Coordinator of Advisory Services and Human Resources, Réseau COOP, Montreal
(There will be some discussion on the focus of pandemic experiences and learnings regarding the above topics.)
Ignite presentations by Worker Co-op Academy groups: 1) Oasis Lavender Farm Co-op (forming), Summerland, 2) the Massage and Holistic Co-op (forming), Calgary
7:00pm to 8:30pm: CoopZone Developers Network session, re: Co-op Conversions
- Matthew Green, Member of Parliament (Hamilton, ON)
- Meg Ronson, Director, CoopZone
- Russ Christianson, Co-op Developer
- Colin B. Anthes, Community Wealth Candidates
- David Gray, Project Equity
Facilitator: Michael Norris, administrateur de CoopZone
Wednesday, November 17, 2021
12:00pm to 1:30pm: Building on anti-racism in worker co-ops: practical tools to build real diversity, inclusion, and racial justice, and need for a culture shift (planned by CWCF’s Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (“JEDDI”) Committee as part of their action plan)
Speakers:
- Susanna Redekop, Local Food and Farms Co-op Network and Master’s student, Toronto (facilitator & presenter)
- Lucenia Ortiz, Multicultural Health Brokers Co-op, Edmonton
- Mike Degagne, Northeast Regional Co-op Coordinator of LFFC & the Black River Co-op Co-chair, Timmins, ON
- Wunmi Akinlosotu, CEO/Founder Blooming Ladies, Blooming Ladies Co-operative
- Reba Plummer, for CWCF’s JEDDI Committee to present the Action Plan
2:30pm to 4:00pm: CWCF Annual General Meeting
- CWCF AGM Part 1: Reports
- CWCF AGM Part 2: Financial Statements and Budget
- CWCF AGM Part 3: Elections and Resolutions
Award Presentations:
- Worker Co-op Merit Award – presented to Eric Tusz-King, by Frank Bezanson-Harris (Just Us! Coffee Roasters, and CWCF Board)
- Worker Co-op Best Practices Award – presented to London Brewing Co-op by Reba Plummer
With brief presentations by Hugues Bourgeois, Interim Executive Director Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada, Alexandra Wilson, Board Vice Chair (TBC), Co-operators, and Francesca Zaganelli, Membership Coordinator, CICOPA, Brussels.
6:00pm to 7:30pm: Freedom Dreams Education Co-op Workshop
Nourishing Belonging: Forging Co-operation in Food and Farming.
When resources were scarce, BIPOC folks worked the land together in a spirit of abundance. In their third workshop, Afri-Can FoodBasket founder and farmer Anan Lololi joins us for a look at how co-ops offer a sustainable approach for small-scale food and farm businesses. Register at this link.
Thursday, November 18, 2021
12:00pm to 1:30pm: Worker Co-op Financing Workshop
Successful financing: What are financiers looking for? What are some financing tools that are available?
Speakers:
- Bernard Ndour, MCE Conseils & CWCF Fund Investment Committee, Montreal – on what financiers are looking for
- Julia Vlad, Canadian Co-operative Investment Fund, Toronto
- Brian Iler, Iler Campbell, Toronto – on investment shares, bonds, etc.
- Hazel Corcoran, CWCF’s Tenacity Works Fund & RRSP program, Calgary
Facilitator: Erin Hancock, International Centre for Co-operative Management, Saint Mary’s University, Halifax
2:30pm to 4:00pm: Worker Co-op Marketing Workshop
Marketing/visibility – including marketing the Worker Co-op advantage
Speakers:
- Russ Christianson, Co-op Developer, Campbellford, ON
- David Thuss and Emma Maganja, London Brewing Co-op, London, ON (2021 Winner of WC Best Practices Award) – to present their best practice on organic/ local/ messaging
- Isabella Robinson, Molotov Communications Co-op, Montreal
Facilitator: Jared Blustein, The Allium Restaurant Co-op, and CWCF Director, Calgary
